Research

Heart disease can affect men and women different ways. Sister to Sister has helped direct data, expertise, and research dollars toward women's heart health.

We enjoy an ongoing relationship with researchers at The Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard Medical School and The Johns Hopkins Medical Center. We also maintain an ever-growing database of women screened at Sister to Sister's National Women's Heart Health Fairs. This large-scale database is the first of its kind and has contributed to a variety of cutting-edge women's heart-health research.

• A study published in the Journal of Women's Health (2008) highlights the importance of women knowing their own risk factors for cardiovascular disease, and cautions that a frequently used risk assessment tool could lead to false reassurance that a woman is at low risk for heart problems.
• A 2008 Johns Hopkins University Heart and Vascular Institute study used our data to confirm previous research that extra inches around the waist can mean higher risk for heart disease in women.
• A 2009 WATCH study tracks women for one year after an initial cardiac screening to identify and measure changes to their heart disease risk factors. The study is funded by the Center for Disease Control and the Verizon Foundation, and is supported by Brigham and Women's Hospital and Johns Hopkins University Medical Center.
• Another upcoming study looks at self-reported and measurable changes in behavior and health correlated with Sister to Sister screenings.